“We are saddened and concerned over tensions that have resulted in the loss of lives in Kirkuk,” Fidan said during a press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, calling on Iraqi authorities “to quickly end the growing presence of PKK in the city [of Kirkuk].”
Fidan said “Kirkuk’s peace and stability directly impact the peace and stability of Iraq,” adding that Ankara sees the city as “a symbol of the culture of peaceful coexistence”.
Tensions escalated between Arab and Turkmen protesters and enraged Kurdish residents of Kirkuk on Saturday, after a sit-in protest by the former near the headquarters of the Iraqi military’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) blocked the main Kirkuk-Erbil highway for nearly a week.
The protesters demanded Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to revoke an order he had issued asking the JOC to evacuate their buildings in Kirkuk in preparation for the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) return to the offices they used to operate prior to October 2017.
In addition to blocking the road, footage also showed the protesters insulting and disrespecting the Kurdistan Region flag and the Peshmerga statue. The altercations left at least four Kurds dead and 15 others wounded as a result of the Iraqi forces firing live ammunition to disperse them.
Fidan asked for preserving the “sensitive” social balance of the city and ensuring the “equal representation” and participation of everyone in the governance of Kirkuk, which he described as the “homeland of the Turkmens”.
The Turkish foreign minister said that they oppose any politicization of Turkmen rights, stressing that safeguarding the rights and interests of the ethnic minority is among the key elements of Turkish policy towards Iraq.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Sunday said that it had decided to suspend the implementation of Sudani’s order until a ruling was made on the lawsuits asking the court to cancel the order.
Kirkuk is a multiethnic city home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. The city was under joint administration before 2014 when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of a brazen offensive by the Islamic State (ISIS) group threatening the city.
Kurds held Kirkuk until October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control and expelled Kurdish security forces following the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) independence referendum. While other Kurdish political parties remain active in Kirkuk, the KDP refused to return, saying the city was “occupied” by Shiite militias.
Arshad Salihi, a prominent nationalist parliamentarian of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, expressed opposition to the KDP’s return and called for the matter to be resolved through the judiciary after Iraq’s provincial council elections, scheduled to take place on December 18.
“Any decision to be taken for the city of Kirkuk without seeking the opinion of its ethnic representatives causes destabilization of security and deterioration of social peace,” Salihi said in a press conference. “The best solution is to settle the matter through the judiciary after the elections.”
